We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brandi Richards. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brandi below.

Brandi, appreciate you joining us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

I do wish I had started my business sooner; however, I believe everything is in God’s timing. I think I needed to reach a point in my life when I knew having passion about my work was needed and figuring out what that was in my own life. I had always been passionate about photography, but it had only been a hobby and not something I thought I could build a business on. After my dad passed away in 2017, I was searching for what my career purpose was. I thought it was selling life insurance since I realized how important it was for families to have. Even though I saw the importance in it, I did not enjoy what I was doing. I periodically posted pictures I had taken of landscapes or people to social media and that eventually led to people asking me to take various photos for them. Which in turn, led to a hobby turning in to a business. I believe the timing was meant to happen when it did because I believe my dad was guiding me to it. My dad loved photography too and he bought me my first camera many years prior. Even though I’ve upgraded my camera, I still have the one he got me along with antique cameras I collect. There’s nostalgia in a story and there’s a story with every picture.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My passion with photography started not because I just wanted to take pretty pictures, but because I wanted to reach the emotion under the surface. Everyone from children to adults have a story that reflects in the memories I capture.

I’ve recently started a photoshoot journey with someone that is battling breast cancer. Our first shoot was by a lake and I asked her to sit and just look out into the water. I wanted to take a picture not posed and of her just in a moment with herself and whatever she wanted to think about. I started shooting behind her to get a different perspective and as I moved closer to get her profile, my heart stopped for a moment. This woman who had already showed me what a fighter she is, had tears welling up in her eyes. Then, she put her face in her hands and let go of what she had been trying to hold back. Although a very tough moment for us both, it was one neither of us will forget. This was a day in her story that she will now have something to look back on to remind her what she got through.

I remember as a child looking through my parents’ and grandmother’s photo albums. Looking at pictures from when my parents were little. The pictures were usually black and white, faded and sometimes torn, but those were the ones that I loved going back to look at every time. It’s like I was going back in history and I was a part of it.

We live in a time where everything has become digitalized. Everyone wants to share their pictures on social media. Believe me, I do too. But when do you look at them after that? I decided to bring back the days of tangible photos. Ones that you can flip through a book to look at, have on your nightstand to see when you go to bed or when you wake up and ones that are turned into artwork to display throughout your home. In addition to that, I try to give my clients a personalized experience from start to finish and hopefully develop a relationship for life to photograph the many stages of their life.

I specialize in high school seniors and children of different ages. As a mom of 3 kids, one being a high school senior now, I know how valuable these years are. We don’t get these years back, but I can give my clients memories to last a lifetime.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As those who have started a business know, it’s hard. Sometimes for different reasons, but one thing is usually the same. It takes a while to build income.

I’ve had my business for over 3 years now. I started from the ground up. Admittedly, not knowing the first thing about running a business. I learned a lot from making mistakes. For example, not knowing I had to pay quarterly taxes until I received a court notice from the IRS. Luckily, my newly hired accountant at the time helped me through that situation.

Then there’s all the fees, the many subscriptions for software, apps, etc needed to run and keep track of business necessities. Not to mention all the equipment you’re continuously having to buy because you never have everything needed.

And when you start a business, you usually don’t know what your “codb”(cost of doing business) is so you don’t know where to price your services/products so that you can actually pay yourself an income. And when you think you have it figured out, you don’t, and you have to change your prices again. And again. Honestly, it took me 3 years to get close to figuring it out and I’m still not able to pay myself yet. Lol There are many months I’m not able to pay all of my bills. But I don’t regret anything. I make it work even if I have to work a couple of part time jobs.

I want to teach my kids that your passion is worth the risk. We don’t grow into who God made us to be by staying in our comfort zone.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

One of the best pieces of advice I can give others is to be true to yourself. No matter what business you’re in, there’s going to be many others in the same business. There have been times when I get down on myself because I think “I can never compete with all these other photographers”. What I’ve learned is, I don’t need to. I’ve taught myself everything since I started and I’m good at what I do. But that’s not necessarily why my clients come back. It’s because I care about them. I put my heart into everything I do and I think my work ethic shows that.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.livebeautifullyphotography.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/livebeautifullyphotography
• Facebook: Facebook.com/livebeautifullyphotography